Equinox Fuel Cell a real-life time machine (11/07/10)

General Motors' (GM) Equinox model, which is driven by an electric motor and a fuel cell stack, is the "future of motoring", according to the Maine Sunday Telegram.

"While its underlying technology may seem like science fiction to anyone weaned on internal combustion engines, the Equinox Fuel Cell generally operates and behaves like a conventional vehicle," noted the news provider.

Whatever happened to Fuel Cell automobiles promised in 2010? (10/07/10)

Automakers have managed to reduce the size of their cars' fuel cells by about 50 per cent in recent years and slashed the cost of platinum used in them.

Citing an article by Automotive News, the Post and Courier suggested that major improvements are taking place ahead of the vehicles' expected commercial roll-out by 2015.

"Unlike a battery-powered vehicle that can take six, seven, eight hours to recharge, a hydrogen refill takes 3.5 minutes," read one section of the Automotive News report.

"Also, while a battery-powered vehicle has a range of about 100 miles (40 miles on a Chevrolet Volt), depending on conditions, Honda's Clarity, a mid-sized sedan, can travel 240 miles on hydrogen. GM expects 300 miles for its fuel cell car."

Arcola Theatre launches HyLight, its first fuel cell product, and creates new fuel cell retail business Arcola Energy Ltd (12/07/10)

Arcola Theatre has launched its first ever manufactured fuel cell product, it has been confirmed.

'HyLight' is a unique portable lighting and power supply which is able to offer illumination solutions without the noise and pollution of traditional generators.

The product has an output of 150W (or 200W at its peak) and allows users to switch between mains, fuel cell and battery back-up power.

Arcola launches fuel-cell powered systems at Latitude (22/07/10)

Arcola's first port of call with the new product was the Latitude Festival, where seven systems provided lighting for marquees, forest performances and toilets.

Revellers were able to make use of the technology to charge their laptops and mobile phones, while ticket machines also benefitted.

UNFI Deploys Plug Power GenDrive Fuel Cells to Increase Productivity at Distribution Center (13/07/10)

United Natural Foods (UNFI) has purchased 65 GenDrive fuel cell units from Plug Power to help power a fleet of electric lift trucks at its Sarasota, Florida distribution centre.

Plug Power Chief Executive Andy Marsh said: "UNFI can leverage the significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to aid in its culture of social responsibility."

United Natural Foods Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology Successfully Implemented at Sarasota, FL Distribution Center (04/08/10)

The project, which is now fully operational, is expected to reduce the UNFI trucks' carbon emissions by about 132 metric tonnes per year, while also creating annual energy savings of about 640,000 kW hours.

Plug Power and Raymond Showcase Fuel Cell-Powered Electric Lift Trucks at UNFI Distribution Center (04/08/10)

Material handling solutions firm Raymond Corporation, which manufactured the trucks involved in the initiative, was delighted to see it get underway on 4th August.

Segment Manager Frank Devlin said: "UNFI is the first organisation to install Raymond's new fuel cell-compatible orderpicker, which features a 21-inch battery box to easily accommodate the fuel cell.

"UNFI is able to maximise the uptime of its fleet as the Raymond truck and GenDrive fuel cell maintains constant power in all working environments, specifically cold storage areas."

Plug Power and Ballard extend supply agreement through 2014 (15/07/10)

Meanwhile, Plug Power has also announced that it has extended its supply agreement with Ballard Power Systems until 2014.

As a result, Ballard will remain the exclusive supplier of fuel cell stacks for its partner's GenDrive products.

Ballard Fuel Cell System to Produce Clean Power From By-Product Hydrogen (05/08/10)

Ballard also revealed last week that it has secured a sales agreement with K2 Pure Solutions to deploy a clean energy fuel cell power generator at the latter's bleach plant in Pittsburgh.

The CLEARgen system developed by Ballard will convert by-product hydrogen into clean load-following electricity which will partially offset power demand at the site.

K2 Executive Chairman David Cynamon said: "The Ballard fuel cell solution is a great fit with our sustainable energy strategy."

Michael Goldstein, Ballard's Chief Commercial Officer, added that the CLEARgen system is "scalable to customers' requirements", as it can offer between 163kW and 10MW.

Hydrogen tech trials begin (06/07/10)

A new type of hydrogen-from-ammonia fuel technology could offer a clean, low-cost power solution to remote cell towers in Africa, itweb.co.za reports.

Industrial gases company Afrox and UK-based firm Diverse Energy will conduct tests in three regions and believe the results could revolutionise the telecommunications industry.

Danish fuel cell firm gets funding to develop a 500 W mini-CHP (15/07/10)

Danish firm IRD has received EU and state funding to develop a 500W mini combined heat and power methanol fuel cell plant, Borsen reports.

Methanol is being increasingly viewed as an alternative to hydrogen for use in fuel cells as it is a liquid and does not need to be pressurised for transport and storage.

New catalyst for hydrogen fuel cells resists CO contamination

Researchers in the US and Japan have developed new nanoparticle catalysts which can help hydrogen fuel cells to resist carbon monoxide poisoning.

The team found that the carbon monoxide-induced performance reduction was five per cent with their product, compared to 30 per cent for other catalysts.

Professor Hector Abruna and colleagues from Cornell University, the National Institute for Materials Science in Ibaraki and that University of Pennsylvania collaborated on the project.

The results of the tests are published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Singapore's first hydrogen-powered public bus hits streets in Aug (20/07/10)

Singapore is set to unveil its first-ever hydrogen fuel cell bus this month, it has been confirmed.

The vehicle, which is known as 'GreenLite', was developed by Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and China's Tsinghua University.

"This is a new concept in the sense that the standard fuel cell bus uses about 80 to 100kW, whereas ours is only 40 kW," Soh Yeng Chai, Professor and Associate Dean of Research at NTU's College of Engineering, told Channel News Asia.

Honda announces hybrids, but continues to eye fuel cell technology (20/07/10)

Honda has confirmed that it will release a plug-in hybrid vehicle in the US by 2012, which will be set up to compete with Toyota's hugely successful Prius.

However, the Japanese automaker has also announced that it remains committed to fuel cell technology, claiming that "in the long term, fuel cell electric vehicles will provide the ultimate mobility".

Panasonic looks to green homes of the future (19/07/10)

Panasonic has suggested that all homes will be able to produce enough power for their own needs by 2020, with fuel cells playing a major role.

In five to ten years we believe houses will become autonomous in terms of technology," said Panasonic Europe Chairman and Chief Executive Laurent Abadie.

"Consumers will produce their own energy with solar panels or via fuel cells. People will begin to store the energy they don't need in big batteries."

Panasonic is planning to release a laptop computer which makes use of a direct methanol fuel cell in 2012.

Change of company name: SFC Smart Fuel Cell AG becomes SFC Energy AG (22/07/10)

SFC Smart Fuel Cell AG announced recently that it has changed its name to SFC Energy AG.

"Our experience as pioneer in the commercialisation of fuel cells has shown that customers in many fields do not only need a fuel cell but total solution," commented Chief Executive Dr Peter Podesser.

"The change of the company's name reflects our positioning and underlines the intention to provide whole-product off-grid power solutions to our customers and their specific needs."

H2 Logic joins auto giants in European hydrogen project (27/07/10)

H2 Logic has teamed up with Daimler and Fiat to test fuel cell cars and hydrogen refuelling stations, Borsen reports.

The Danish firm will supply fuel cells for five Norwegian Think vehicles being manufactured for the project, while also establishing a mobile refuelling station and a static station in Oslo.

India: Pact with UK for fuel boost (29/07/10)

India and the UK have joined forces to develop fuel cell products for the space, civilian, nuclear and rural technologies sectors.

Both countries plan to invest £3 million as part of the initiative, which will aim to forge partnerships between 15 research groups in India and about 20 in the UK.

Indo-UK joint workshop on fuel cell technology (30/07/10)

T Ramasami, India's Department of Science and Technology Secretary, confirmed that a joint Indo-UK workshop will be organised between 15th and 17th September at the Centre for Fuel Cell Technology in Chennai.

"An Indo-UK workshop on bridging the urban and rural divide is being organised at Vardha from October 19 to 21," he added in an interview with Sify.com.

Anglo Platinum signs with JV partners to make fuel cells in SA (02/08/10)

Anglo Platinum has announced that it will establish a new company to market and distribute fuel cells in South Africa.

Clean Energy Incorporated will be a collaboration between the world's largest platinum producer, Altergy Systems and the Department of the Science and Technology.

After completing its work in South Africa, the new entity will focus on the local manufacture of fuel cells for the sub-Saharan market by 2013.

"To ensure the use of the metal [platinum] for the life of our mines, we need to develop the market," said Anglo Chief Executive Neville Nicolau.

"People have been talking about fuel cells for years, and finally we are doing something."

Lotus builds hydrogen fuel cell taxi for London 2012 (04/08/10)

Lotus has manufactured a new fuel cell taxi which will hit the road for the Olympic Games in London in 2012.

"The black cab is a good tool for us to demonstrate the technology," Dr Ashley Kells, programme manager at Intelligent Energy, the company that developed the cab's fuel cell system, told BBC News.

"And as long as you keep on providing fuel for the cell, it will keep on providing power."

eHydrogen Solutions' H2 Vehicle Fuelling Module a Solution for Lotus' Fuel Cell London Taxi Initiative: Market Grows as Mayor Calls for Zero Emissions From London Taxis by 2020 (05/08/10)

eHydrogen Solutions is set to enhance the taxis by providing them with its advanced Hydrogen Vehicle Fuelling Module.

The module offers near-emission-free hydrogen on demand, while also offering on-board fuel production for both hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen internal combustion engine vehicles.

London mayor Boris Johnson wants all black cabs in the capital to have zero emissions by 2020. 

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